Monday, August 31, 2015

The Taman Safari Experience

All creatures big and small.

Prior my trip to Taman Safari, the closest encounter I've had with wild animals was in Davao's Crocodile Park, and in the Philippine Eagle Center. But those weren't considered close since all of them were either locked inside a cage or confined in a protected area in which visitors aren't allowed to pet them. Weeks prior our Indonesian adventure, my aunt told me and my mom that we're going to visit Indonesia's Taman Safari. I did a few research about it but their official website wasn't really that detailed, not to mention that it was written in Bahasa. So basically, we were clueless.

The first thing that came to my mind was the African safari type of trip - you know, people inside an armored vehicle with large plexiglass windows on it, with a few lions climbing on top of the car, and zebras licking the window, begging for food. And after that, the lions saw the zebras, and goes the wild chase. Eventually, the lions ate the zebras. It's like watching NatGeo Wild. #CircleOfLife

Well, that was morbid.

After some serious night shopping in Bandung, we drove all the way to Bogor. It was supposed to be a two and a half hour ride, but due to some circumstances, it became a six-hour trip. Que horror! I kept on swearing under my breath because I can no longer handle the stress; I was really hangry.

Traffic jam on highlands. HOW COOL WAS THAT

After purchasing some carrots and our individual tickets, we went to the first gate. Upon entering, we started humming the Jurassic Park theme. Hahaha! Don't blame us, it felt like as if we were about to enter the Jurassic World, sans the genetically modified dinosaurs.

The first attraction was the elephant sanctuary!

Food for the herbivorous animals.

This elephant already knew what to do when a car passes through.

It was my first time to be that close with the elephants. There were no cages to confine them but I think they were tamed and were well fed by the zookeepers, aside from tourists who constantly feed them with carrots.

As we made our way to the next attraction, we met more animals - deer, reindeer, hippopotamus, llamas (which gets aggressive if you don't give them carrots), giraffes, camels, and zebras. But wait, there's more! We also had a close encounter with some notorious carnivorous hunters of the wild such as leopards, bears, lions, tigers, and white bengal tigers. It is not advisable to feed them with carrots because duh. Car windows should be kept closed at all times for safety reasons.

Here are some snapshots from our safari tour:

Whatchalookin at?

One happy hippo family.

Welcome to Jurassic Park! LOLJK

Also my first time to see a camel! HAHA!

A wild yet photogenic deer appeared!

The king and his mistresses. Reminds me of House Baratheon.

The bear went wild after he saw us. He probably smelled us. Aaaah, human meat. Yamyam!

Chillin' because walang makakapigil sa kanya!

These two were so adorbz

This is Simba, and he's bored.

GOT FREAKED OUT WHEN THIS ZEBRA DEMANDED FOR MORE CARROTS. Edi wow

Pensive mood? Nope. Tiger's also bored like Simba.

I came in like a wreckkkkkingggg baaallllll!

Squirrels do not thrive in a hot and humid environment. The closest squirrel kalokalike I've encountered in my country was a giant rat. LOL. Anyway, as we made our way to the next attraction, we came across a lone squirrel. YES, A SQUIRREL. The child in me was so happy that I've been dying to see one since idontknowhen! Of all places, I didn't expect that I'd see one, especially in a tropical country like Indonesia. But I think they can still thrive on a subtropical climate, like in Bogor. The weather was cool and breezy, just like the temperate forests of North America. But anyway, HAHAHA IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE.

YES, A SQUIRREL! MY DAY IS ALREADY COMPLETE.

It took us 90 minutes to finish the safari encounter. We then went to the main plaza and there was an event. People both young and old gathered to witness the free elephant show.

Elephant show!

Taman Safari is a very big complex. Aside from the safari encounter, it also had a very big aviary, another zoo for wild animals, a hotel, restaurants, carnival rides such as cable cars, and souvenir shops, just like in the fictitious Jurassic Park.

Entering the aviary.

It actually had three levels.

Why hello there, RICHARD PARKER!!!

DND, I'm eating, human!

We left the place after dusk and ate dinner at Cimory Riverside. Is Taman Safari worth it? Of course! But I will never forget the worst traffic jam I've ever experienced. It wasn't even in a big metropolitan city.